1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device which facilitates the storage and retrieval of flexible, elongated elements and, more particularly, to a light-weight, portable, container for storing line or other elongated articles such as cord, rope, hose, wire, and the like, from which the line may be easily retrieved.
2. Discussion
A common problem typically encountered when dealing with the repeated storage and retrieval of elongated, flexible elements, including items such as line, cord, rope, hose and wire, is entanglement. Entanglement often is a nuisance and frustration to skilled workmen, homeowners and boat owners, among others. Consequently, the development of numerous methods and apparatus for line storage and retrieval have been motivated by the desire to address and alleviate this well-known problem. Most obvious, the simple method of manually looping or winding the line into a coil, either with or without the assistance of a form member, such as a spindle, has been employed. However, this practice is usually tedious and time-consuming.
One type of apparatus that is often used for line storage and retrieval employs a conventional spindle-and-reel arrangement. When needed for use, the line is pulled or otherwise removed from the reel causing the reel to rotate about the spindle in an unwinding operation. To return the line to a stored position, the rotation of the reel about the spindle is simply reversed, and the line is caused to rewind upon the reel. The rotation of the reel that is necessary to perform the operations of unwinding and rewinding of the line is generally produced manually, although spring actuated return reels for rewinding the line, such as those found in some household appliances, are also common. Typically, these devices can be either stationary or portable. A well-known disadvantage associated with a majority of the spindle-and-reel-type apparatus presents itself when these devices are used for the storage and retrieval of common electrical extension cord. In particular, the devices require that the entire length of electrical cord be unwound from the reel when the cord is in use in order to eliminate temperature increase. Thus, these apparatus become significantly impractical and inefficient in applications where only a short length of the entire electrical extension cord is necessary.
In addition, other methods and devices have been used to eliminate the entanglement that can occur with the repeated storage and retrieval of elongated elements. However, these devices have generally accomplished the task of line storage and retrieval in a conventional manner, similar to that which has been described above, namely, that the line is either forced or required to be wound-up into a coil. Thus, these traditional approaches to line storage and retrieval have consistently employed the necessary step of creating a coil in the line that is to be stored and retrieved.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a device which facilitates the storage and retrieval of line and other elongated articles such as cord, rope, hose, wire and the like, that reduces or eliminates undesirable entanglement in the line without forcing or requiring the line to be coiled.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a line storage device which is rugged, compact, light-weight and portable. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a line storage device that is operable to clean and/or dry the line as it is being stored in order to remove dirt, grime and/or moisture which can tend to abrade away the surface of the line or soil or damage floor coverings and the like at the worksite. Another object of the present invention is to provide a line storage device that is capable of protecting the line from dirt and moisture after it has been stored. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a line storage device that is convenient, practical and efficient to use. It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a line storage device that can be readily and economically manufactured in a high volume production environment utilizing well-known manufacturing methods and techniques.